Black and White Biscuits (V) from The German Christmas Cookbook

Makes at least 40

For the white dough

270g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

125g cold unsalted butter, cubed

125g caster sugar

1 pinch salt

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

2 tablespoons beaten egg

For the black dough

240g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

125g cold unsalted butter, cubed

30g cocoa powder

125g caster sugar

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons beaten egg

For each dough, put all ingredients into a bowl and mix by hand or with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If the dough is too stiff, add a bit more egg or a little water. The dough should hold together nicely and feel smooth. Cover each bowl with clingfilm and leave to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Note: When making these biscuits, it’s best to start with small amounts of dough, to get a feel for the way it handles.

To make spiral biscuits: Weigh out equal amounts of each dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a rectangle about 2mm thick.

Place 1 sheet of dough on top of the other and gently press down. Cut one of the 4 sides straight, then roll up your dough, starting at the straight side. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge.

To make checkerboard biscuits: Weigh out equal amounts of each dough (don’t use up all of it, as you’ll need some more at the end). On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a rectangle about 9cm wide and 3mm thick; the length doesn’t matter so much.

Place 1 sheet of dough on top of the other and gently press down. Trim the edges straight. Cut your rectangle into 3 lengthways strips, each about 3cm wide. Place the strips on top of each other so that there are 6 layers, with black and white dough alternating. Make sure the long edges are clean and straight. Carefully cut into lengthways slices about 3mm thick. Now rearrange those slices – without the layers separating – so that the white and black doughs also alternate on top to create a checkerboard pattern. Roll out a thin sheet of dough, wrap it around the checkboard layers, then wrap tightly in clingfilm and place in the fridge.

To make marbled biscuits: Very briefly knead together your offcuts or leftover pieces of black and white dough to create a swirly ball. Roll this into a log about 3cm in diameter. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge.

Once the various logs have chilled and are firm, take them out of the fridge. At this stage, you can also freeze the rolls of dough to use later.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/gas mark 6. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

Without unwrapping them, cut the logs into slices about 4mm thick, or whatever your personal preference. Keeping the clingfilm on prevents the dough from falling apart while being sliced.

Carefully remove the clingfilm and place the biscuits on the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2cm apart. Bake for 8–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

If stored in an airtight container, these biscuits will keep for several weeks.